Red Lion Controls and Facelco say they have won a deal to provide remote connectivity services to Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM), one of Colombia’s biggest utilities.

The solution will provide monitoring and control throughout EPM’s power distribution network, helping the company to save time and reduce costs.

Red Lion Controls (York, PA, USA) – which specializes in monitoring and control for industrial automation and networking – and distributor Facelco claim to have been chosen by EPM due to the flexibility of their offering.

The utility was said to have been looking for a solution that would allow it to carry out monitoring at a number of locations where legacy equipment is still in use.

It says by using a remote connectivity solution combining Red Lion’s technology with a network analyzer from Facelco (Medellin, Colombia) it can easily connect, monitor and control its existing recloser network.

The utility also points out that the solution will allow it to extend the life of its infrastructure and preserve capital expenditure for other projects.

“The primary benefit for EPM was implementing a solution that would extend the life of its existing recloser network,” said Alejandro Arango, engineering director Facelco.

“This remote connectivity solution allowed them to extend the life of existing legacy equipment, which can last 15–20 years, as well as increase control of the network.”

The solution uses cellular routers from Red Lion that allow EPM to remotely connect and communicate with its power distribution system, while Facelco’s network analyzers provide real-time diagnostics to ensure system integrity and network uptime.

“With a number of different types of equipment deployed throughout Colombia, EPM's power distribution system needed to be constantly monitored to ensure customers receive continuous, uninterrupted service,” said Stuart Eaton, vice president of CALA sales for Red Lion. “The solution not only ensures the network is running efficiently, it also enables EPM to save time and money by eliminating expensive truck rolls to remote locations.”